SS HG Nuzlocke Run
by ApeEscape46679
Summary: Join Anthony and Brian on their wacky misadventure known as a Nuzlocke run. There will be joy, sadness and tons of situations involving the cops.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. This is the Nuzlocke run of Pyocola Analogue III and myself; we decided to post it on my account since I didn't have anything on it. Enjoy.

Rules:

Can only catch the first non-duplicate encounter in each route (Duplicate is decided by the Pokédex). 

Must nickname all Pokémon caught. 

If a Pokémon faints in battle, it's dead and must be released. 

Can use items during grinding and trainer battles; cannot be used against gym leaders and Elite Four.

Chapter One

It was a bright, shining morning in New Bark Town. The sun was dipping in through the curtains, causing the male huddled in the bed beneath them to groan. He crawled out of his bed slowly, running a hand through his golden hair. He changed into an army camo jacket over a white wife beater. He partnered it up with a pair of baggy black jeans that had tons of zipped pockets along the sides. Finally he laced up his steel-toed boots and trudged down the stairs to the living room.

"Good morning, Anthony," His mother greeted from the couch. She was dressed in jeans, a ruffled pink blouse and had a white cup in her hands. She smiled lightly at him. "Brian came by looking for you just a moment ago. He said that Professor Elm had needed a favor from the both of you."

"Cool," He said while filling a thermos with coffee. He added a few creamers and two packets of sugar before screwing the lid back on and shaking it to mix it all up. "I'll just take my coffee to go then. See you later, Mom." He said while heading to the door.

"Ah, wait!" She called, setting her cup down and searching through her purse quickly. She pulled out a red and black device. "You're PokéGear came back from the repair shop today. Take this with you so you can call me if you get into any trouble, okay?" She said happily, getting up and handing it over to him. She then kissed his forehead, causing him to blush a little bit.

"Thanks, Mom," He said softly before heading out the door. He perked up when he caught sight of his childhood best friend, Brian, kneeling on the ground beside a smaller figure he assumed to be a Pokémon. Brian had inky black hair that he kept in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. His eyes were a cocoa color that reminded Anthony of the brew in his metal canister. He was wearing a green hooded zipper jacket that was zipped up all the way and a pair of dark blue jeans. It was finished with his white sneakers with the neon orange laces. "Hey, Brian." He said while heading up.

The other glanced up before picking the smaller figure up and looking at him with annoyance. "You woke up late," He said blandly.

"Aw, sue me," Anthony grinned before looking down at the figure. He leaned down and tilted his head at it. "So who might this be?"

"This is Chase, my new Pokémon," Brian said with a smile. His partner hopped from his arms to his right shoulder. "He's a rare breed known as a Cyndaquil. I got him from Professor Elm."

"Yo," Chase said calmly from his perch, relaxing against his new owner's form. Anthony let out a small noise, his moss tinted orbs lighting up in amusement.

"No fooling?" He asked while shoving his hands in his pockets. Brian pinned him with a pointed look.

"That was what we were supposed to do. Since you were late that means you'll have one less choice for your Pokémon," Brian said calmly while giving Chase a pat on the head. The other let out a proud cooing noise while Anthony shrugged.

"I'll still have a choice though. So let's get started," He said while heading toward the lab. Brain and followed after him calmly.

"Hello boys!" Professor Elm declared happily. He was an older man with a balding spot in the center of his cranium and a ring of brown surrounding it. He pushed his glasses up a little higher on the bridge of his nose. "Enjoy sleeping in today, Anthony?"

"Why is everybody on me about that? It was only an extra hour," He scoffed while slouching a little bit and kicking at the ground. Brian and Elm chuckled lightly before he cleared his throat lightly. "So Brian says you need a favor from us or something?"

"Ah, yes!" He cheered eagerly. He turned to a small machine with two Pokéballs resting on it. "As you know, Pokéballs are a newer marvel of modern science and prior to their existence Pokémon and humans walked as one. The main question now is to whether or not that effects how the bonds between them are built; thusly, I'm going to give you each a Pokémon and ask you to spend some time with them. Now, Anthony, if you would like you can pick your Pokémon now."

"I guess I'll take this one," He said, plucking up one of the balls and dropping it on the ground. When the red laser took form, it revealed a four legged little green beast with a giant leaf on its head.

"Ah, that's a Pokémon called Chikorita! It's a rare grass type," Elm announced cheerfully. Anthony nodded and looked at it before picking it up.

"So how about I call you Aaron? You cool with that?" He asked with a smile.

"I like how that sounds," He agreed with a small smile. His leaf shifted back so that it was no longer hanging in his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Master."

"Just call me Anthony, okay?" He said cheerfully. Aaron nodded his head and he grinned, situating him on his shoulder. "So do we want to go do some battling and get you all buffed up?"

"Actually, I was hoping you could run an errand for me now that you have your Pokémon partners," He said sheepishly. Brian and Anthony stared at him blankly, waiting for him to continue. "You see, I have a friend who lives just up past Cherrygrove City named Mr. Pokémon. He found some eggs and offered them to me for my research; however, I am a touch too busy here to go and pick the eggs up on my own. Would you two mind going and picking them up in my stead?" He asked gently. "I'll give you my phone number so that we can communicate in case of any problems or emergencies."

"Sure. It'll give us a chance to spend more time bonding with Chase and Aaron," Brian said calmly while looking up at Chase curiously. His partner yawned lightly and shrugged. "Tack on the fact we can start getting some grinding down and it's pretty much a fair trade." He pointed out.

"Sure, whatever," Anthony sighed before opening his thermos, pouring some warm brew into the lid and taking a sip. He then offered some to his partner, who took a swig eagerly. His eyes widened suddenly and he started yowling, jumping free of Anthony's shoulder and taking off to door of the lab. He ran right into it. "Oh sweet Arceus!"

"Let's go!" Aaron yelled eagerly, running in circles like a dog with a bone. Brian shook his head and looked over at Anthony.

"You shouldn't have given him the coffee," He said bluntly. Elm laughed nervously as the two boys headed to the doors.

"I didn't know it would make him freak out like an idiot!" He said defensively, picking the wriggling Pokémon back up. He growled as he tried to keep him pinned down against his chest. "Damn he's a squirmy little brat!" Brian kept any more comments to himself as they exited the town and headed off toward Cherrygrove City.

One training montage later~!

Aaron had calmed down after leaving a plethora of dead Rattata and Pidgey in his wake. "I'm so sorry, Anthony; I'm normally not like that," Aaron said with a bright blush on his cheeks. His owner chuckled as he got situated back on his shoulder. So far, Chase had learned SmokeScreen and Aaron had learned Razor Leaf.

"It's fine little guy," He said calmly. Chase stretched and sneezed, a small puff of black smoke erupting from his nose.

"You okay?" Brian asked gently. He nodded calmly.

"Yeah, just a little worn out," He said gently. Brian picked him up and settled him atop his head.

"We'll get the eggs and take the fast way home," Brian stated calmly. Chase relaxed and nodded while he knocked on the door. "Hello, Mr. Pokémon? Our names are Brian and Anthony; Professor Elm sent us here to pick up some eggs for him."

The door opened and an older man ushered them in, stepping aside with the aid of his cane. "Come in boys, come in! Let me just go grab those eggs for you real fast," He said while shuffling off. The two stood by the shut door, looking around with their Pokémon. There were portraits and pictures of various people (including Mr. Pokémon in his youth) with various Pokémon the team didn't recognize. There were other knick-knacks all along the shelves that caught both boys' eyes, although they did not move to touch them or examine them any closer.

"New trainers, I assume?" Both twitched and spotted another older gentleman seated at the small table in the living room. He was wearing a white lab coat and holding a cup of steaming tea.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Anthony asked curiously.

"For a seasoned professor like me it's not hard to pick a rookie out of a crowd," He chuckled lightly. He then took a small sip of his tea and set it back down. "Ah, I should introduce myself properly. My name is Professor Oak, the primary researcher of the Kanto region."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," The boys chimed in unison. The two had, after all, been brought up with some degree of manners.

The other chuckled before rummaging through his bag and offering the pair each a red little red device the resembled a calculator. "Why don't you two do me a favor and help me with my research of this area? I'm far too old to be questing around the world but you're both young and have Pokémon; therefore, adventure will be awaiting you at every turn from this point forward. I'd like you to each hold on to a Pokédex to record what kind of Pokémon you encounter and capture along the way. This is, however, a very important task; do you two think you're up to it?" He asked with a smile.

The two exchanged looks. They had just been planning to get their Pokémon, travel the world and take on the Pokémon League. They hadn't been planning to run errands for Elm but, since he did give them their partners, they felt obligated to help him out. Taking on another task from a second world renowned scientist just seemed a little too much for them; they didn't really want to have that many responsibilities. Brian opened his mouth to politely decline when Mr. Pokémon returned, an egg under either arm. "Here we are for you, boys," He said cheerily as he pressed one egg into each boys' arms.

"Well, I should probably get going as well; I have a long journey back to Goldenrod for my radio show," Oak commented as he stood and stretched. He and Mr. Pokemon exchanged brief goodbyes before he was gone, Anthony and Brian floundering to stop him and return the devices he had given them. As soon as they stepped over the threshold in pursuit, the door was slammed and locked behind them.

The two paused and looked back at the building in slight disbelief. "Ever get the feeling that we're just turning into everyone's personal bitches?" Anthony asked flatly.

"Always; let's just get headed back to New Bark Town already," He seethed while shoving the egg into his bag and stomping off. Anthony shrugged and followed after him.

"I guess this is kinda cool, don't you think? I mean, not many kids get to meet Professor Oak and get asked to do a favor for him," Anthony pointed out, trying to make he and Brian feel better about it. He was pretty annoyed at being turned into a little errand boy as much as his friend but figured that both of them whining about it wouldn't really get them anywhere. "I mean, you're always reading those researcher magazines and looking that stuff up online. Now you're actually going to get to experience it yourself."

"That's true," Brian said as they cut through Cherrygrove City. They paused when they saw a figure hovering in the way of the exit. The boy was wearing an all purple suit and had maroon locks that were a strange combination on him. It wasn't that the outfit was particularly fashionable or completely uncomplimentary, either; it was simply bizarre. "Excuse us."

"No, I don't think I will," The other said while pulling out a Pokéball. Brian and Anthony glanced at one another before the blonde gestured with both hands to the other, a small smirk on his face.

"Feel free to handle him this time," He said calmly, stepping aside a little bit. Chase hopped down from perch just as the other trainer tossed down his Pokéball. A small blue alligator greeted them. "What is that thing?"

"It's called a Totodile; it's a rare water-type Pokémon that I saw back at Professor Elm's place," Brian said calmly, a suspicious scowl on his features. He decided to ignore it for now and focus on winning the battle. "Okay, Chase, let's Tackle spam his sorry ass."

"Roger," Chase said while charging forward.

It took a total of three hits for Brian to win, which didn't surprise him that much; after all, the other had used Leer twice.

"Hmp. Look like I picked a weak Pokemon," The red haired male scoffed while returning his Pokemon to it's ball.

"That or you're just an asshole," Anthony said flatly. The other twitched and shoved past them, dropping his trainer card. Anthony picked it up and looked at him. "Hey, you dropped your card… Mike? Wow, even your name sounds like a total douche bag's name!" He laughed while their new enemy snatched it back.

"Whatever," Mike growled before storming off. Anthony made faces at his retreating form while Brian answered his PokéGear.

"Let's head back to New Bark Town in double time," He said as he hung up and picked Chase back up. A brow was raised in question as the other finally turned to face him.

"What's up?"

"Professor Elm says someone broke into the lab and stole that last Pokémon that neither of us picked. Any ideas?" He asked the last question sarcastically which resulted in Anthony cracking his knuckles and heading out toward the town exit again.

"Next time we see him I'm gonna kick his ass," He growled lowly as he stomped off. Brian was close behind him, noticing that there were quite a few officer's hovering around on the route now.

After a quick chat with the authorities, Professor Elm seemed to be feeling a lot better. They learned then that Mike hadn't stolen a Totodile, but a rare Ditto Professor Elm had received from one of the many eggs Mr. Pokémon had given him. He explained that this Ditto could transform into a Pokémon it had seen in pictures and transform into it as will; this just made the two boys even more annoyed at the whole ordeal. After the cops left, however, Elm calmed down, they handed over the eggs and explained their run-in with Professor Oak. "Well that certainly is an honor, boys! It's been years since Professor Oak last gave out a Pokédex," He said in slight surprise.

"Yeah but that does mean we're going to have to go hunting for tons of Pokémon and we currently have no balls to do any catching with; Cherrygrove City sells , like, everything except balls," Brian said flatly. Elm perked up and headed over to a nearby box, rummaging through. He then handed each boy five Pokéballs.

"These should hold you two over until you can reach Violet City and stalk up on some more," He said calmly.

"Thanks, Professor Elm," The two said in unison before bolting for the door. Elm sighed and shook his head as he watched them go. He was, however, smiling at their antics.

"Shall we see about getting some new Pokémon to join our teams?" Brian asked with a small smirk on his lips.

"Indubitably," Anthony agreed with a laugh.

End

Pokémon Information:

Chase – Male Cyndaquil (New Bark Town) – Relaxed Nature – Quick tempered – Blaze – Level 5

Aaron – Male Chikorita (New Bark Town) – Mild Nature – Scatters things often – Overgrow – Level 5


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. This is the Nuzlocke run of Pyocola Analogue III and myself; we decided to post it on my account since I didn't have anything on it. Enjoy.

Rules:

Can only catch the first non-duplicate encounter in each route (Duplicate is decided by the Pokédex). 

Must nickname all Pokémon caught. 

If a Pokémon faints in battle, it's dead and must be released. 

Can use items during grinding and trainer battles; cannot be used against gym leaders and Elite Four.

Chapter Two

"So we catch the first thing we run into, right?" Anthony asked cheerfully. Brian shrugged.

"I assume that's how the Professor meant for us to do it," He said while stepping into the grass. He perked up when a blur of purple caught his eye. "Chase, use Tackle on that Pokémon!" He said quickly. Chase did as he was told and hopped back as Brian threw the Pokéball. It wiggled for a moment before it stilled, the little beast inside accepting its fate.

Holden the Rattata joined Team Brain!

Anthony grinned at him. "Congrats on the new teammate!" He said while Brian let Holden out. The little purple rat hopped onto the shoulder opposite Chase and smiled lightly at them.

"Welcome to the team," Brian said, reaching up and lightly scratching the top of Holden's head.

"Thanks. I'm looking forward to some adventure," Holden said calmly, leaning into Brian's massaging touch. Anthony grinned at them and then perked up when he heard a fluttering noise. He and Aaron turned to find a Pidgey pecking at the ground, apparently looking for food.

"Okay, Aaron, use tackle on that bird!" He announced. Aaron charged forward but the Pidgey fluttered up and out of the way. Aaron blinked and twitched just as the bird landed on Anthony's head, getting himself comfortable. Anthony blinked, then reached up with a Pokéball and tapped it on the Pidgey's head.

Kyle the Pidgey joined Team Anthony!

"I'm going to try and raise all my Pokémon up to level fifteen before we take on the first gym leader. What about you?" Brian asked curiously.

"I guess I'll do that too," Anthony shrugged while letting Kyle back up. He perked up when he spotted another Pidgey. "Okay, Kyle, go show that Pidgey whose boss!" He said happily.

"Can do!" The cocky little bird cheered while taking off to his opponent. The other Pidgey perked up and glared before the two set to attacking one another. The two disappeared into the tall grass, disappearing from view for a moment or two. There was silence, and then the wild Pidgey fluttered off with a victorious caw. Anthony ran over and picked up the bleeding mass of feathers that was once his Pokémon.

"Kyle," He mumbled softly, closing his eyes and holding the limp body a little closer to himself. Aaron walked over and nuzzled up to him, trying to comfort him a little. Brian looked down while reaching up and gently resting a hand on each of his Pokémon's heads.

R.I.P. Kyle the Pidgey: Level 2 through 2

After a small funeral was held and Kyle was buried, Brain rested a hand on Anthony's shoulder. "You going to be okay?" He asked worriedly. Losing a partner was always hard for a trainer.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," He sighed lightly while picking Aaron up. He set his partner back on his shoulder and started walking, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Let's just get back to grinding and start heading toward Violet City."

Brian sighed and followed him since there was really nothing else he could do.

They cut through Cherrygrove City again, making sure to hit up the Pokémon center, and headed out toward Route 30. "Let's split up, do some training, and meet back up in Violet City's Pokémon Center. We can decide from there what we want to do before fighting the gym," Brian said calmly. Anthony nodded and headed off with Aaron at his side. Brian sighed then looked at Chase and Holden. "Okay, you two. Let's get some more teammates on the way to Violet City as well as getting you all pumped up to level fifteen. I want to make sure there aren't any surprises for us against the first gym leader." He explained while stepping into the grass.

"Weedle," A merry little high pitched voice chimed. He looked ahead to see a little yellow bug with a huge horn in front of him. He groaned lowly, not really wanting to catch it. Bug Pokémon were typically easy to find but also quick to die in battle. But he did need a new teammate so he figured he'd catch it.

One Pokéball and five seconds later, Peter the Male Weedle joined Team Brian!

"Okay, Peter, we're going to make sure you evolve all the way to Beedrill, okay?" He asked calmly.

"Sure thing, boss," The little bug laughed lightly. Brian yawned and snapped his fingers, pointing toward the grass a little while ahead of them.

"Let's go get a Pokémon from the next Route, start with the serious grinding and then head to the Pokémon center," Brian said while walking ahead. Chase, Holden and Peter were right on his heels in order of who was caught first. He stepped into Route 31 and perked up when he spotted a shadow in the corner of his vision. "Holden, knock that thing down for capture!" He ordered while snapping and pointing.

"Got it!" He called back while rushing forward. He disappeared for a second and then Bran threw the Pokéball, waiting to see what would happen. After a moment, Holden returned with the Pokeball in his mouth and a triumphant glint to his eyes. "It's a girl this time." He announced after handing it to his trainer.

"Excellent," Brian grinned while dropping the Pokéball and seeing what came out.

Bella the female Bellsprout joined Team Brian!

"Welcome to the team, Bella," Brian said with a smile. She glanced around then chuckled lightly. She rested her little vine-like arms on where he assumed her hips would be if she was human.

"It's a good thing too; you all look like you could use a woman's guidance," She said haughtily. Brian blinked a few times, clearly baffled by her words, before she shook her head. "Men; don't even understand how to take direction. Anyway, let's start training. We can split up into teams of two while you monitor us."

"That's actually a very good idea," Holden chimed in casually. Brian nodded and smiled lightly.

"Wow, strong and smart. You're just chalk full of potential, aren't you?" He asked Bella. She blushed a bit then cleared her throat, turning away and grabbing Peter.

"Naturally; girls are the superior gender, after all. Now, little bug, you'll be working with me until we get to… What level did you want us to aim for?" She asked, glancing back at Brian.

"Let's aim for fifteen for now, unless you get really tired or run start to run out of PP for your moves," He said calmly. Bella nodded and continued to drag her new teammate along. Peter glanced back at the other men with a concerned expression but they just pretended not to notice. Someone was going to end up having to be their sacrifice to appease their new female boss.

Brian situated himself under a small tree while watching his Pokémon get to work. The image of Kyle's dead body was haunting him. Anthony had said he was going to be fine but he was still really concerned about him. _'Death is a normal thing when it comes to Pokémon battles but this was his first actual capture,'_ He thought with a sour taste in his mouth. He pulled out a small book from his bag and started thumbing through. _'Maybe there are some useful Pokémon around here that we can see about getting for him. A new, strong teammate could help boost his confidence and help him with the regret he's most likely feeling over losing Kyle.'_

It was only a few moments before a bright light, specifically coming from Chase, alrted him that something was happening. He blinked a few times and gasped as Chase stood before him, stunned at his own new appearance, as a Quilava. "You evolved!" Holden said happily.

"Fantastic!" Brian said happily while darting over. He hugged his partner tightly and laughed happily. "You're going to be even more of a force to be reckoned with!"

"Add that with the fact I learned Quick Attack and Ember," Chase said with a small smile. Brian's eyes lit up while Holden and the others grinned happily.

"Congrats, but don't go thinking this means you're the best," Bella chimed in merrily. She was leaning against a large yellow shell-like thing with a smug air. "Peter here is right on your tail; plus he reaches his last evolution before you. Give me another ten minutes with this squirt and I'll have him pro level in no time." She announced before pushing Peter away. He seemed less frightened, now, and more at ease with his partner.

"Whatever," Holden said simply. He grinned at his trainer. "Chase and I have only one level left each. Plus I learned Bite and Pursuit so this shouldn't take too much longer for us."

Brian nodded and turned his attention toward the sky. The sun was starting to dip behind the mountains, casting shadows along the land. "Once you two reach your next level let me know; depending on how Bella and Peter are holding up, we'll turn in to the Pokémon Center for the night and finish up grinding in the morning. I found out something kind of interesting I had wanted to talk to Anthony about anyway," He said while holding up his book. He shook it a little, causing his Pokémon to tilt their heads at him.

…

"Hey, Anthony, are you sure you're going to be okay?" Aaron asked worriedly as he and his trainer strolled along. The other glanced at him, curiosity bubbling in his deep emerald orbs. "I mean, about what happened to Kyle and stuff…" He mumbled meekly.

The young man chuckled and knelt down, gently resting a hand on Aaron's head. "I'm grateful for the concern, but I'll be okay. I was a little shocked since I never really realized that not being more cautious with my decisions could have dire effects like that," He said delicately. He sighed lightly and stood back up. "Once we get some more teammates and start grinding I should be feeling a lot better."

"Okay," Aaron said with a sigh of his own. He perked up when he spotted a shadow lurking in the grass. "Hey, I think I see a wild Pokémon!" He said happily.

"Alright! Go weaken it so I can catch it!" The young blonde beamed happily. Now this was what he wanted to be focusing on; catching and training. If he was more cautious with how he trained than he wouldn't have to suffer another lose like Kyle.

Aaron darted forward and… stopped in front of the wild creature with a big grin. "Hello there! I'm Aaron and that's my trainer, Anthony! Want to join our team?" He asked happily. Anthony felt his eye twitch and he smacked his forehead.

Since when had Aaron become a pacifist?

"Well, sure," The figure agreed as it crawled out. He felt his stomach drop as he realized that it was a Caterpie. "A journey with a few fine young chaps sounds delightful! By the way, they call me Dr. Phil!"

Dr. Phil the male Caterpie joined Team Anthony!

"Okay, so this is Route 30, right?" Anthony asked while pulling out his Pokédex. He looked around and then grinned. "Which means that we can catch another Pokémon on Route 31; let's just make sure it counts." He hummed, taking a few steps and tripping over a figure he didn't see hidden in the grass. He glanced back and then groaned lowly, smacking his forehead. "Well this is just s-"

Steve the male Bellsprout joined Team Anthony!

"Okay, let me get a good look at the three of you," Anthony said, setting his three teammates in a line. He had two grass types and then… Well, for lack of better terms, he had a therapist. If he trained Dr. Phil, he'd evolve at level ten into Butterfree and hopefully be more useful. He figured that in a flying type gym, like Falkner's, he'd be better off boxing Steve. Going in there with two grass types was like just tempting fate to take another of his teammates away. He perked up slightly when he spotted a large, dark hold carved into a mountain a few feet away. He grinned wickedly as he realized that was another area to get a new teammate. "Time to go take a peek around in there and see what we get." He hummed deviously.

He took a step inside when a large circular shape charged at him. In a matter of seconds, Steve had used Vine Whip to pin it down. Aaron had followed it up with a Razor Leaf to weaken it. Using a flashlight, Anthony grinned down at the snarling stone figure Steve was keeping pinned down. "Well hello there, little fella," He said while crouching down beside it.

"I'm a girl, you moron!" It snapped in a high-pitched, unmatching feminine squeal. His eye started to twitch while Dr. Phil balked, Aaron tried to keep from barfing, and Steve tried to keep from laughing outright. She glared at them all bitterly. "You dicks!"

Stud the female Geodude (begrudgingly) joined Team Anthony!

"You're going to be my ace in the hole for this upcoming gym, okay, Stud?" Anthony asked as he walked out of the cave. He perked up and noticed the sun starting to set and groaned lightly. "Damnit! Let's see if we can't get the rest of you to at least reach level ten before we head back to the Pokémon Center to meet up with Brian and his team." He growled lowly.

"Okay," Dr. Phil said while turning to his teammates. He had a serious expression. "All right you rag-tag slackers! It's time to get to work and see what we can accomplish! Get a move on!" The other three flinched and darted out toward the grass. Anthony blinked then looked at the little bug beside him, glowing with pride.

"How did you-?" He asked while pointing ahead of them.

"Well, I'm Dr. Phil; that's just how I roll," He mused while inching away to start raising his own level. Anthony chuckled, stuffed his hands in his pocket, and looked toward the sky. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself and reflecting on his day as a whole.

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.

…

Brian arrived to the Pokémon Center, surprisingly enough, after Anthony. The other was setting some free Pokémon food (courtesy of Nurse Joy) down for his team when he spotted him. He grinned and waved him over. "Hey there! If you need some food for your team, Nurse Joy has a few more bowls left on her tray," He said while jerking his thumb toward the pink haired woman a few feet away. "I'll go grab you some dinner when I get my own while you get your team situated." He said, getting back up and heading off.

After tending everything they needed, the two sat down with some stew and small loafs of breed. "Looks like we both got the same amount of catches today," Brian remarked, watching as Bella smacked Steve for some comment he made. He chuckled lightly as she stomped back over to sit between Peter and Holden, dragging her food bowl with her.

"Yeah," Anthony agreed after swallowing. He dipped his bread into his stew and took another bite while Brian took out his book and flipped through it to the page that had caught his eye earlier.

"I found a better area for training; it's a Route just outside of town between here and Azalea Town. From what the chart says, there are tons of awesome Pokémon over there so our chances of getting useful teammates is raised exponentially," He said with a large grin. Anthony blinked then grinned back just as widely. "I figure we can go out there, catch a Pokémon, then head off to Sprout Tower to train. It's supposed to be a training hotspot for up and coming trainers."

"Sounds like a plan. And then we take down that so-called leader, Falkner," He agreed while snickering. Brian smiled, nodded, and took another bite of his food. He relaxed his position and enjoyed the stew placed before him.

Tomorrow was starting to look a lot brighter.

End

Pokémon Information:

Holden – Male Rattata (Route 29) – Docile Nature – Often dozes off – Run Away – Level 4

Kyle – Male Pidgey (Route 29) – Rash Nature – Highly curious – Keen Eye – Level 2 through 2 (Wild Pidgey's Tackle on Route 29) R.I.P. Lil' Buddy. :(

Peter – Male Weedle (Route 30) – Quirky Nature – Likes to thrash about – Shield Dust – Level 3

Bella – Female Bellsprout (Route 31) – Hasty Nature – Highly persistent – Chlorophyll – Level 3

Dr. Phil – Male Caterpie (Route 30) – Hasty Nature – Mischievous – Shield Dust – Level 3

Steve – Male Bellsprout (Route 31) – Calm Nature – Highly Curious – Chlorophyll – Level 3

Stud – Female Geodude (Dark Cave) – Naughty Nature – Strong willed – Sturdy – Level 2


End file.
